The couple, who married at St Bartholomew’s Church in Colne on October 26th, 1946, have been inundated with well-wishers and have received dozens of cards.

Robert said: “I’m a toy boy. She’s a little bit older than me!”

Hilda said: “The secret is to give and take. Sometimes you have got to give more than you would like to and sometimes you take more than you need to. But you get there.”

They first met on a night out in the Emmott Arms in Laneshaw Bridge when Robert, who continued to serve in Asia with the Navy after victory had been secured in Europe, returned home from Australia. Robert was with his pal Eric Baldwin and Hilda was with a group of her friends.

However, they knew of each other before meeting, as Hilda worked with Robert’s mother at Riley Mill in Burnley Road, Colne, and heard about him all the time as he wrote letters home to his family.

It was a case of love at first sight and they married, living in Colne before moving to Pasture Springs Farm in Trawden where they had a 12 acre small holding.

When not working on the farm, Robert was driving for Bannister’s Corn Mill, and Hilda brought up the couple’s four children Maureen, Carole, Christine and Alan there.

They later moved back to Colne and then Nelson when Robert got a job at Rolls-Royce as a lorry driver which he did for 16 years until he retired.

Robert has always had a love of racing pigeons and is still a member of Colne Homing Society while Hilda was a long time member of the WI.

In later life they have a enjoyed holidays to various European countries and doting on their large family which includes 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Daughter Carole said: “It’s marvellous. It’s nice that they are together and still together in their own home. They are quite well to say they are both 93. It’s quite emotional. We are all really proud.”